Blog 12: Woman's Death Prompts Abortion Debate

Southern Ireland is a very Catholic oriented country so naturally their laws reflect their religious beliefs. Abortion is not allowed in Southern Ireland unless the mother’s life is directly in danger. Even if the woman is having a miscarriage doctors will not carry out an abortion unless the fetus’ hear has stopped beating. Savita Halappanavar , an Indian residence or Ireland, lost her life after enduring a three day miscarriage that doctors refused to aid her with. Mrs. Halappanavar died of sepsis or blood poisoning while she stayed in the hospital with intense pain for days. Even though she was having a miscarriage the doctors would not perform a procedure that could have potentially saved her life because the fetus’ heart was still beating. Because of this tragic incident there has been a call for reform in Ireland’s laws concerning abortion and protests in Britain outside of the Irish embassy.

            This story is something I think most don’t think about when they consider issues surrounding abortion and whether it should be allowed. Typically when I think of abortion I think of women who are unable to care for children, or have conceived through rape or incest. I usually don’t consider the women who get abortions because their health is being negatively affected or if they are already having a miscarriage and want to ease their pain. I was directed to another link after reading this article about a Dominican teen girl who died after not being able to start chemo soon enough because she was pregnant and could not get an abortion. The girl, Rosa Hernandez, had a miscarriage after finally beginning chemotherapy for her cancer. She died the next die after going into cardiac arrest. I wonder how many women in countries strict on abortion laws have died because of similar circumstances. Because doctors refuse to take the mother’s needs into account they were left to just die. I don’t understand how a medical professional can be okay with a woman dying when they have the means to potentially prevent her death. 

Source 1: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/world/europe/ireland-abortion-controversy/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6

Source 2: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/18/world/americas/dominican-republic-abortion/index.html

Protest at Irish embassy in India over abortion row

About a hundred protesters gathered today (Friday) outside of the Irish embassy over the death of Savita Halappanavar, a thirty one year old Indian dentist, who died after she was refused an abortion in an Irish hospital in the Catholic country. The crowd is accusing Irish authorities of committing "medical murder". When Halappanavar went to the hospital seeking treatment, she repeatedly asked staff at University Hospital in Galway, west Ireland, to terminate her pregnancy because she was miscarrying. Doctors refused her demand, telling her that "this is a Catholic country". Abortion is illegal in Roman Catholic-dominated Ireland except when it is necessary to save the life of the mother. After local politicians in India expressed their concern regarding her death on October 28^th, the government was urged to act. Smriti Irani, president of the women's wing of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, was among the protesters outside the embassy and she was allowed in as part of a four-person delegation to meet the ambassador. "The ambassador acknowledged that there is intense pressure (on Ireland) not only from the people of India but globally over Halappanavar's death," Irani told reporters. Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said that "It is extremely sad and unfortunate. Whatever the inquiry does, human loss cannot be compensated," andIndian Communist Party leader Brinda Karat said not treating Halappanavar's condition as a medical emergency was a "crime". Ireland's abortion laws have actually been the subject of debate for years.

The article said that under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, women in Ireland are legally entitled to an abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the mother. Unfortunately, “legislation has never been passed to reflect this. “ I agree wholeheartedly with Brinda Karat’s calling the untreatment of Halappanavar a crime because the woman was clearly in dire need of the abortion to save her life, so how can a doctor possibly sit there and tell the woman he can’t perform the procedure, when he knows the mother’s life is at risk? Its infuriating! Women should have the right to an abortion regardless of whether their lives are at risk. There are already women dying every minute due to the lack of care after birth. Why add to the numbers?  In India alone, there is a maternal death every 10 minutes, according to the United Nations, with the country accounting for about 20 percent of deaths worldwide of women who die during or shortly after childbirth.

http://www.brecorder.com/world/south-asia/91002.html

Blog 12: Vigilante Men Attack Sexual Harassers in Egypt

Back in September I wrote about an article putting the sexual harassment epidemic into perspective for Egypt. Women are being attacked for more than just how they dress now. They are being attacked just for going to work or going to the grocery store because men in Egypt believe a woman shouldn't leave their own homes. It no longer matters how an Egyptian woman is dressed. She can be covered head to toe and is still blamed by the public and her own family for being attacked. "She shouldn't have been asking for it." Well recently a group of men in Egypt have made a group that target sexual harassers. Muhammed Taimoor started the "Be A Man" group on facebook about a year ago and is just now beginning to get the attention of media all over the world. When the "Be A Man" group sees a woman being a harassed, they grab the man, pin him down and spray paint the phrase "I am a harasser" in Arabic on some part of his body. The group was created to help women realize they are not to be blamed for being attacked. When this group holds a man down and tags him, it gives the woman he was attacking the confidence she needs in order to believe she should not held responsible. The man who started this group is trying to take the steps necessary to end the sexual harassment epidemic because the Egyptian police aren't intervening or trying to stop sexual harassers.

Although they are breaking the law and have been arrested several times, this is what this country needs. Egypt needs a group to help bring to light the fact that their sexual harassment epidemic is out of control and has been for a long time. These men are trying to be an example for the rest of the country. Because women in Egypt are considered second class citizens, no man is going to listen to a woman who says sexual harassment needs to end. Men need to step up and help end it. Muhammed took a great risk doing this and I think the media in other countries getting involved will be beneficial for not only his group but for Egyptian women. Being in America, it seems obvious that groping a woman on a public transportation system or in the street is wrong but they have had to just get used to it and take precautions against. Women are told not to leave their house, attackers aren't told not to grab women.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/vigilantes-are-fighting-back-against-sexual-harassment-in-egypt

Blog 12: Women Fight to Define the Arab Spring

When Mabrouka M’barek is in the Tunisian capital these days, much of her time is spent writing a new constitution as an elected member of the National Constituent Assembly. It is a role the 32-year-old mother of two embraces with idealistic passion and more than a little amazement. Before President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in 2011, she never imagined herself a “founding mother,” as she referred to herself in a recent interview, of this country or any other.

Now Mrs. M’barek — a Tunisian-American whose constituents are Tunisians in the United States, Canada and Europe — is deep into one of the most important tasks of any new democracy. She is helping to write the document that will underpin the rights and responsibilities shared by the government and its citizens.

Men overwhelmingly dominate the Arab Spring countries, but women, enabled by advances in literacy and higher education, are increasingly asserting themselves. In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, they have been on the front lines of revolution. These nations will not succeed unless women are fully incorporated into political and economic life.

Women in Arab countries have long lagged behind those in other countries in terms of opportunities and leadership positions in politics and business, and this has hurt the region’s overall progress, according to reports by the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Development Program.

 

I love reading articles that talk about the new found justice that some women in the world are beginning to enjoy. This article here talks about a women who works for the National Constituent in Cairo, Egypt. She is a young Arab woman with a family. Ms. M'barek never imagined that she would be doing what she is now before the former president was removed. She called herself a "founding mother" with great excitement. In the article it is stated that women in Arab countries have long lagged behind those in other countries in terms of opportunities and leadership positions and here is a story of that new type of freedom given to women. I believe this will help the overall progress of the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/women-fight-to-define-the-arab-spring.html

Blog 11: Rape Victim Pledge in the UK

   Rape victims everywhere, not just in the United Kingdom, have always had a hard time adjusting after their traumatic experience. The citizens of Kent have created a pledge to better help those who have been raped. On one end of the country help is available for almost anyone and groups have been formed to help them, but on the other end the lack of understanding is appalling and something needs to be done. There is no 24/7 service in Kent that aids rape victims. Not only do they need a 24/7 service, they need neighborhood watches and street police. Kent is constantly being criticized for low percentage of rape reporting and rape investigation. Women are often scared to report their rape because of the very likely possibility that they will lose the case because of either lack of physical abuse even though we are slowly coming to terms with the fact that rape does not always leave bruises or visible scars. Because of the lack of rights for rape victims, the residents of Kent have formed this pledge in order to make rape survivors feel safer about reporting their rape and receiving help for the mental trauma.
    Every major city should have something to this effect and the fact that Kent went so long without a pledge of this sort is hard to believe. When a large city has a low rape reporting percentage it's definitely not because rape is not occurring but rather the women and men who have been raped are too scared to report it. Men are usually overlooked when they report a rape. A small percentage of rape survivors are men and many don't believe men when they are the victims. We don't believe rape survivors a lot of the time and we suffer from Just World Bias/Hypothesis. Many people subconsciously believe rape victims deserve what they get because they have done bad things some other time in their lives. It's a very flawed hypothesis but it sadly applies to most rape situations. The fact that Kent is taking this step is showing some good for the people who live there. It allows them to feel safe and as though people are out there to help you if you suffer from such a situation. Maybe other larger cities around Kent will take this example and follow them in making the same pledge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20252450

Blog 11 Ukraine's Femen

The article I read focused on the radical feminist group based in Ukraine called Femen. Femen seeks to bring attention to women’s rights issues by doing public stunts topless. The women apart of Femen seek to desexualize the female body and fight against patriarchal constructs as well as religion, and dictatorship. The Femen movement was founded in 2008 to combat the sex trade industry as well as prevent women from becoming mail order brides. Femen has gained support from North America but sometimes have issues garnering the same support from within their country. The women of Femen began baring their breast while do their demonstrations and they say that this action does not diminish their campaign in anyway. The Femen organization has had some controversy over the past few years. Femen in addition to being a tops off campaign, also does bold stunts. Some of these stunts include cutting down religious signs, attempted theft, and open mockery of political figures. These actions have added even more scrutiny and disapproval to their campaign and in some cases have put the members of Femen in danger.

While reading this article I didn’t feel like I was completely informed on what Femen’s specific objectives were. I got the overall message that they were for equality and against religious and dictators. Besides overthrowing the patriarchal paradigm I am not sure what Femen wants to accomplish. I thought of ‘Slut Walk’ while reading this article because of some of their methods are similar in a sense that they use unorthodox ways to gain attention for their cause. ‘Slut Walk’ is a series of rallies and marches where women dress “like sluts” to bring attention to slut shaming, victim blaming, and female inequality as a whole. There are some critics of both movements saying that they are bringing the wrong type of attention to issues affecting females. I am on the fence about whether or not these groups are employing the wrong methods to make a point. I think some people may just see women going topless etc. and then refuse to find out what they stand for based off of how they are presenting themselves.

 Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20028797

blog 11: Chinese women's rights activist sent to labor camp again

Mao Hengfeng was taken by a team of security officials on September 20 in Beijing when she was petitioning the authorities for the abuses she suffered during her previous labor camp sentences. Her husband, Wu Hengfeng, said he received a letter from the authorities late on Monday informing him that Mao had been sentenced to a labor camp for "disturbing social order", which he said was unsupported. "She is not guilty and she didn't break any laws," Wu said. "They are fabricating offences, making up evidence to lock up people who did not commit crimes in prisons and labor camps." Unfortunately, Wu knows nothing about her whereabouts. Apparently, she was last held the Yangpu district police detention centre in Shanghai but calls to the centre were unanswered. As President Hu Jintao prepares to transfer power as party leader to anointed successor Vice President Xi Jinping, China’s “stability-obsessed” rulers are not taking any chances to ensure an image of “harmony”.  Mao, who has three daughters, has been petitioning the government since she was dismissed in 1988 from her job at a soap factory after becoming pregnant a second time, in breaking of the one-child policy. Mao had been arrested several times before though. She was sentenced in February 2011 to a labor camp for conducting "illegal activities". In 2010, she was sentenced to one and a half years of "re-education through labor" on charges of "disturbing the public order" for a protest at the trial of jailed 2010 Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Then, she was released six months early from a labor camp in Anhui because of poor health, her husband said, adding that he is worried about Mao because of her high blood pressure. Mao is just one of the rebels being rounded up by the country’s communist party.
I envy Mao Hengfeng for her courage in standing up to China’s government. She wasn’t afraid to be retained for standing up for what she believed in, and that takes audacity. I understand China’s being overpopulated, but I have never agreed with their one child rule. Family’s should be able to have as many children as they wish, and not be punished or fined for doing so. I thought of the documentary we watched in class last week, Robot Nation, and how Japan’s government is actually paying couples to have children while China is telling individuals to cut down on reproduction. I think there is irony in the situation. What is even more disturbing is how the government is said to be fabricating offences and making up evidence to lock up people who did not commit crimes in prisons and labor camps. It fills me with rage think that they are locking up and executing innocent individuals!




http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/06/us-china-labour-idUSBRE8A50DL20121106
 

Blog 10: Kenyan Women Are Taking Advantage of their New Rights

In 2010 Kenya adopted a new constitution that recognized women and altered certain laws of parliament and how parliament represents women. According to recent polls regarding representation of women in government, they are only at 9.8%. Because of the new constitution, women were expected to vote and to make a difference for the country. The head of the National Gender and Equality Commission was interviewed and asked questions regarding women and voting. Some believe that women is Kenya should not be allowed to vote and are wondering how they could benefit the Kenyan government. Since the change in the constitution two years ago, many are looking for proof of womens contributions to the government. Seeing that women have been discriminated against for years, it's hard for them to jump right into government and change everything in two years. That's asking too much. Many men are also wondering if women are ready to compete with their male counterparts in parliament.

Women in Kenya, and all throughout Africa, have long been repressed and discriminated against simply because of their gender. Their new ability to vote is astounding and is a huge step for women's rights in Africa. Telling them that they should have changed things and made progress for their gender in parliament in two years is ridiculous and is expecting too much. I think women are ready for this change despite the idea that women are unfit to make decisions for a country. People in Kenya just need to get used to the idea and become more open minded by realizing that women have opinions and thoughts that can be beneficial to a country. The next generation of politicians and citizens will appreciate the change eventually. It will be good for the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211021223.html?viewall=1

Blog 10: Widows, India's Other "Untouchables"

                In India being a female is pretty difficult. Females in Indian society have little to no value compared to men in their culture. I used to think that nothing could be worse than this, to essentially be viewed as nothing. I found out that I was wrong and that there is something worse than being a female in India. You could be a widow. The article I read detailed the struggles Indian widows face often times for years after their husbands deaths. Sometimes after a woman’s husband dies, her husband’s family might take her in. Perhaps her brother in-law might remarry her. Marrying a widow is not considered to bring fortune because not too long ago, women who’s husband’s had perished suffered the superstition of causing their husbands deaths. Even when a woman is taken in by family members neither she nor her children are guaranteed safe haven. Some women are subjugated to abuse at the hands of their husband’s family and/ or are forced out of their homes. A woman in the article who went by the name Goswami was banished from her city by her mother, in an effort to “keep the peace”. Also some of these exiles take place to prevent women from inheriting anything their husband might have left for them. In a lot of cases these women have no way of providing for themselves or their children which is one reason why they may be rejected by their loved ones. The city the women go to is a sacred city known as Vrindavan. A widow who moved to Vrindavan was supposed to move there to reflect on and mourn the loss of her husband. Widows of Vrindavan were to give up luxuries and just focus on remembering their husbands. The living conditions of Vrindavan are less than ideal. The widows are given a government provided monthly allotment of 6 dollars which is definitely not enough to support one person. Some women turn to begging for money or meals by chanting for long hours. There has been push for a change in this way of living for widows but so far not much has been done to solve the continuing solution. One of the women believes she would have been better off committing “sardi”, a suicide involving throwing oneself atop a spouse’s funeral pyre, than she is living in the city for widows. I think that it is definitely a sad state for widows in India but I’m not sure if there could be a quick change in the way widows are treatment. A lot of the mistreatment is deeply rooted in long held superstitions and social norms. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-widows-20121016,0,6972223.story?page=1

Blog 10: Michelle Obama urges Africa to advance women's rights

Michele Obama is on her second trip abroad as first lady to help endorsee issues, such as education, health and wellness. The speech that she gave at the Regina Mundi Church touched on more “harder” topics of race, discrimination, democracy and development. Her speech actually played a role in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, and Michele and her mother and two daughters “cited” the individuals in charge of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the civil rights movement in the United States as examples for the younger generation to follow. "It is because of them that we are able to gather here today.It is because of them that I stand before you as First Lady of the United States of America," she said to applause. Obama also spoke passionately about women's rights, saying that the young leaders should make sure women were no longer "second class citizens" and that girls were educated in schools. "You can be the generation that stands up and says that violence against women in any form, in any place, including the home”, said Obama. Michele was actually introduced by Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's wife. She and her family had a very fortunate opportunity to meet Mandela and his family at his home Tuesday. Mrs. Obama said she told Mandela that he had been an inspiration to her and her husband, the first black president of the United States. "You know what he said? 'OK, thanks,'" said a laughing Michelle. When Michelle was giving her speech, she used her husband's famous campaign slogan to urge the church audience to follow through on the issues she addressed. "If anyone ever tells you that you shouldn't or you can't, then I want you to say with one voice -- the voice of a generation -- you tell them: "Yes, we can."

Michele Obama is the type of individual that makes our nation proud to have her as our First Lady. Well, at least I am. She is such an inspiring role model to girls and women not just nation, but worldwide. Health advocate, education advocate, and women’s rights advocate. What I furthermore find to be impressive is Michelle’s continuously doing her routes and speeches despite the presidential elections. I don’t know too much about Ann Romney, but you don’t hear too much, or anything, about her volunteering or taking the time to travel other countries to advocate women’s rights. I like how she pinpointed racial issues, and urged the young leaders or the country to make sure girls were getting their education, and put into light the wrongness of any sort of violence geared towards women. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/22/us-obama-africa-idUSTRE75J0HW20110622

Blog 9: Brazilian Woman Bids Her Own Virginity

Catarina Migiliorini has taken it upon herself to sell her virginity online in order to raise money for a charity that builds homes in Brazil, her home country. She is 20 years old and is a physical education student. A few weeks ago she put up an auction where she let men bid on her virginity. The auction came to a close on October 24, 2012 and the final bid was $780,000. She had a male counterpart that did the same thing and only received $3,000 for his virginity. Catarina claims this was just a business deal and still claims to be a romantic that is looking for love, she just took this chance to raise money for  charity. There has been some controversy over this the last couple days over where the money is coming from and what she has to do in order to get the money. Technically she is a prostitute if she goes through with it. Because of the legal issues, the act is going to take place on a plane that will be flying over Australia. The controversy has stemmed from the moral disagreement of prostitution. Many have said that prostitution is the world's oldest profession and places like Holland have legal brothels for women to be prostitutes in a safe environment. Many people disagree with prostitution simply because they believe it is degrading to women. However this women is agreeing to it and even sees it as a smart business move. Many people also believe that the charities won't take the money simply because of how she got it. It's al up for speculation and the charities are allowed to choose whether or not they want the money.

Personally I do not agree with prostitution simply because in most countries it is an unsafe method of income and many women are raped, assaulted, and even killed while doing their job. But if a women truly wants to be a harlot and is comfortable with that lifestyle then who are we to tell them how to make their money and support themselves. The issue with Catarina selling her virginity online is that is seems to make ones virginity less important than we hold it up to be. Especially in many religions that say you should save yourself for your wife/husband. But because she is donating over 90% of the bid to charities in Brazil, it is conflicting to say that it is unethical to donate the money. If a charity needed the money then it shouldn't matter if the money came from a women's decision to sell her virginity. But it also shouldn't matter whether or not she wants to offer sexual intercourse for money. She is not being forced to do so and she is doing it for a good cause. Women should be allowed to make their own decisions and be supported while doing so.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/catarina-migliorini-sells-virginity-780k_n_2010260.html#slide=1682793

Uruguay: New Abortion Law Breaks Ground for Women's Rights: Blog 9

This week, new ground was gained for women’s rights in Uruguay. The President of Uruguay, José Mujica signed a bill that would eliminate penalties for abortions that occur up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, 14 weeks for rape. This is a huge deal for Uruguay because the Latin American continent is largely restrictive of their abortion policies. The implementation of this new law means that the amount of unsafe abortion procedures will be reduced. This is important because 13% of maternal deaths were caused by unsafe abortions.  Some countries in Latin America have zero tolerance for abortions not even in instances of rape or incest. Passing this law was not a quick process. The bill itself only passed by a one vote margin, and in addition to that it took nearly a year for the bill to go through the Chamber of Deputies and key changes were made to the bill that added stipulations that need to be fulfilled before a woman can receive a lawful abortion in Uruguay. A woman who wishes to receive an abortion must tell her doctor the situation surrounding the conception as well as any reason why she would be prevented from continuing her pregnancy. The doctor then has to consult with a gynecologist, a mental health worker, and a social support specialist. This group then has to provide information and mental/ social support for the woman. Finally it is mandatory for a woman to spend five days reflecting on her decision to get an abortion. Once all of this is completed the woman can give her doctor permission to perform the procedure. In the case of rape or incest women do not have to go through this process, they just have to file a criminal complaint. Unfortunately the lengthy process of these steps may make it impossible for a woman to receive a legal abortion within the approved time frame. I think that it is great that women can now safely receive abortions in Uruguay. Though their guidelines for receiving an abortion are very specific and restrictive, in this case some progress is better than no progress. My views on abortion are pro-choice though it is not a choice I would make for myself. I don’t think that a woman should be forced to carry a child against her will especially if her life is at risk. In some ways I don’t think that some of the requirements that need to be met before an abortion can be done are bad. The mandatory reflection period may help a woman be absolutely sure that the abortion is the right choice for her to make. Sometimes an abortion may not be what a woman wants. In some cases a woman might receive pressure from her family or her partner to get an abortion. Ultimately what goes on inside of a woman’s uterus should be completely controlled by that woman who owns the uterus. Hopefully Uruguay will inspire neighboring countries with abortion bans to follow their lead and lower mother mortality rates.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-watch/uruguay-new-abortion-law_b_2024947.html 

blog 9: Home-based female workers await recognition of their rights

                    

Despite their extensive contributions to the economy, home based working women of Pakistan are still waiting to be recognized for their rights. According to various estimates, there are over 20 million women workers in Pakistan. They work in sectors of garment and bangle-making, shoe-stitching, embroidery, carpet weaving, dry fruit peeling, jewelry, leather products, stitching of mobile phone covers, prawn shelling etc. The working hours of these women range from 12 to 16 whereas their daily income in return of their hard work is around a mere Rs10 to R50. Research shows that the long working hours, poor working conditions, and family pressure that arise from the previous sectors badly affect their health. . Realizing the need to protect women workers in the informal sector, the government, along with the support from women’s organizations drafted the Home Based Women Workers Social Protection Bill in 2006. It which was later presented in the National Assembly in 2007. Unfortunately, despite it being revised several time, it was never presented in the Parliament again. The bill had entailed setting up a Social Protection Commission that would register home based women workers in groups of 5 through, or independently, of employers.  Through the commission, all registered Home Based Women Workers would be entitled to receive protection benefits such as sickness benefits, maternity benefits, death grants, medical care during sickness and maternity, injury benefits, disablement pension, survivor’s pension, family benefits and employment injury benefits. The benefits are much needed since their work is characterized by unregulated, low skilled, low paid and high hazardous conditions. The women really have nothing to fall back on in times of unemployment, sickness, accidents and child birth. “We demand that the home based worker’s issue should to be seen within a human rights and legislative framework,” said Aqsa, a member of one of the women’s organizations.

The home worker’s in Pakistan have no social and legal recognition for their work. They work double the hours American and European women work, yet barely have enough to meet basic survival needs. They are living in a vivacious cycle of debt and deprivation that could be triggered at any moment by the slightest circumstances, such as marriages, deaths, and of course, old age. It is a must that the National Assembly pass the Home Based Workers Social Protection Bill. The bill will not only benefit women in Pakistan, but oppressed individuals worldwide. Women already have the backbreaking profession of being the caregivers of the household, but working 15 hours shifts on top of that with no recognition for their labor is unacceptable.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-138452-Home-based-female-workers-await-recogni